Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Ohio's Most Unique Music Festival
The Washboard Music Festival is held every June on Father's Day weekend in Logan, Ohio. It is called Ohio's most unique music festival. A washboard is a tool designed for washing clothes by hand. After the electric washer was invented, the washboard fell out of use. It is now more often than not used as a musical instrument.
A traditional washboard is made of a wooden frame holding a piece of metal that has a series of ridges. The metals used are zinc, steel, or brass. Clothes are soaked in hot soapy water and then rubbed against the ridged surface of the washboard to remove soil.
The washboard as a musical instrument is a part of the percussion family. The washboard is played by tapping or scraping the ribbed washboard surface with thimbles.
